Water play toys have long been a source of great amusement and recreation value. In summer months in particular, toys which combine action and the use of water have provided diversion and a source of cooling at the same time. It has frequently been a favorite pastime of children to play using lawn sprinklers and the like by turning the sprinklers on and running through them. Even simply turning on a garden hose and squirting play companions has been popular attesting to the fascination that children have for water and water play.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,979 issued to the inventor herein, Alan Amron, on Mar. 29, 1994, there is disclosed a water sprinkler having a housing that is formed into the shape of a dolphin and that includes a plurality of rotating sprinkler heads for providing a spray of water when the device is connected to a typical garden hose. A water-turbine powered mechanism within the housing generates bubbles which are released through an opening at the top of the housing so that children can jump and play within a spray of water having bubbles interspersed therein.
A reaction type of water sprinkling toy is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,172. Water communicated by a hose to a housing is conducted through a plurality of internal tubes to spray nozzles opening downwardly from the housing. The force of water emitted by the nozzles causes the housing to lift and hover over the surface on which it is placed at rest. As the term implies, the toy of the U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,172 is one which is caused to rise in reaction to the forces encountered as water passes through the outlet nozzles. Other water reaction toys are also known, including that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,079,727 and known as the Water Wiggle. The action/reaction principle is also graphically illustrated by a hose having a constricted outlet which writhes like a snake when a source of water pressure is connected to the hose.
Other toys that generate a spray of water for play purposes are disclosed by Janszen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,679 and by Stanley, U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,785.
All prior art water sprinkling amusement devices have one characteristic in common—they are intended for attachment to a supply of municipally pressurized water and, more specifically, by for attachment to the end of a garden hose. A continuing need therefore exists for water sprinkling amusement devices which are portable so that they can be used anywhere—even where a source of municipally pressurized water is not available.